A Shadow Rising
by AClodhoppingElf
Summary: Harry Potter's daughter is falling for the son of Draco Malfoy. Voldemort has returned, and Harry joins a group of elite Aurors to combat the Death Eaters. With their family in danger, and fear rising, what more could go wrong for the Potters? Read on.
1. The Letter

A/N: All right, I know there are about a trillion 'second generation' fics out there, but this one actually has a plot! I'm going to tell you right now who married whom (includes some original characters), and who their kids are, to avoid any confusion.  
  
Harry and Ginny: Michael (13, 3rd Year), Norah (11, 1st Year)  
  
Ron and Hermione: Marcus (15, 5th Year), William (13, 3rd Year), Becky (11, 1st Year)  
  
Percy and Penelope: Christina (16, 6th year)  
  
Draco and Alexia: Dominic (11, 1st Year)  
  
There will be other characters involved who aren't descended from one of the main characters. Now, on with the story! :)  
  
~  
  
A Shadow Rising  
  
Chapter 1: The Letter  
  
  
  
"Norah! Wake up!"  
  
Norah groaned and rolled out of bed.  
  
"Come on! Your breakfast is getting cold!" the voice of her mother drifted up to her from the kitchen downstairs.  
  
She pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of trousers, and turned to look in her full length mirror. She frowned. "What a bloody mess..." she muttered to herself. She ran a hand through her thick, currently messy black hair in a feeble attempt to neaten it a bit. She shrugged, and bounded down the stairs to the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, there you are!" Her father looked up from reading the paper. "We all thought you'd gone and died or something. You haven't died, have you?"  
  
"Harry!" his wife rapped him sharply over the head with a wooden spoon.  
  
"Ow!" he rubbed his head and grinned. "What's the matter, Norah? I was only joking."  
  
"It's not that," she slumped into a chair and crossed her arms. "My letter still hasn't come. My letter is NEVER going to come!"  
  
"Don't be a prat," her older brother said between bites of toast.  
  
"Michael," his father said sternly. "Don't call your sister that. It's not nice."  
  
"Exactly," Michael grinned. Norah made a face at him.  
  
"Anyway, Norah," her father was saying, "I wouldn't worry about getting that letter, if I were you. Because I've got it right here."  
  
"You do?! Really?! Let me have it, give it here!"  
  
He laughed and produced an envelope from the pocket of his robes. "Here you go," he handed it to her, and she ripped it open.  
  
"Dear Miss Potter," she read aloud. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" she squealed in excitement.  
  
Michael rolled his eyes. "What? You knew you were going to get in anyway."  
  
"Oh shut up, Michael," she glared at him.  
  
"Ginny," her father called to her mother, "have you responded to Ron's letter yet?"  
  
Norah's head snapped up. "Letter? Uncle Ron sent a letter and you never told me? Are we going to visit them, then? Ohh, please say we are! Please Dad, please! That'd be so great! I haven't seen Becky in... In forever! And we could all get on the train together and everything!" she exclaimed.  
  
He laughed. "Yes, we're going to visit them, in a week, in fact."  
  
"But what about Quidditch?" Michael asked.  
  
"What about Quidditch?" he raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Well I've got to practice if I want to make the team this year," Michael said. "And Marc and Will don't have anywhere to practice on."  
  
"You've been practicing all summer, Michael!" his mother exclaimed. "It's not going to kill you if you go without Quidditch for a week, you know."  
  
Michael muttered something and stared at his toast.  
  
"Don't mind your brother, Norah," Ginny said, coming over to collect their plates. "He's thirteen. He's at a very awkward stage right now."  
  
"I resent that," Michael said, looking up.  
  
"I agree with Mum completely," Norah grinned. "Besides, Michael, it's not like you've got to be a champion seeker like Dad or anything."  
  
"I know that!" Michael frowned at her. "I'm not going for seeker anyway, I'm going for keeper."  
  
"I still don't understand why you had to retire so early, Dad," Norah was saying, ignoring her brother.  
  
"You know why I retired," her father replied. "When I first got into it I only meant to play for a couple of seasons. I ended up playing for five. And I'm quite happy to be done with it now. Professional Quidditch is hard work."  
  
"Obviously," Michael said.  
  
"Michael Potter, you're very negative this morning," Norah said.  
  
"Shut up," her brother countered. "I bet you're going to get sorted into Slytherin."  
  
"Michael, don't insult your sister!" his mother scolded.  
  
"Well at least I'm not a Death Eater!" Norah glared at her brother.  
  
"Norah!" her father glanced at her warningly.  
  
"What?" she said. "I'm just saying he's a follower of You - Know - Who. Yes, Michael enjoys serving his evil, stupid, ugly, insane master who hasn't been seen in thirty years -"  
  
"Norah, that's quite enough out of you!" her mother exclaimed. "Now go to your room! I want you to think about why it's wrong to joke about people who nearly killed many of your family and friends, and why it's wrong to call your brother one of those people."  
  
Norah stomped up the stairs as her brother laughed, and slammed her bedroom door. "Bloody unfair..." she muttered.  
  
She glanced up at herself in the mirror and ran her hands through her hair, trying to flatten it. It sprang back up again. She wished she had red hair like her mother. Black was so boring. She was day dreaming about having different hair, when there was a loud 'thump' from down the hall in her parent's room.  
  
She opened the door a crack and peeked in, then opened it wide. "Marcus Weasley?" she said, eyeing the red headed boy who was standing before her. "What on earth are you doing here?"  
  
"Sorry," he said, looking more than a little ruffled. "I came here by floo powder. Look, I really need to talk to your parents. Where are they?"  
  
"Downstairs," Norah replied. "Why?"  
  
But he was already out the door and skipping steps down to the kitchen. Something terribly important must have happened. 


	2. Visitors

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! :)  
  
~  
  
A Shadow Rising  
  
Chapter 2: Visitors  
  
"What's happened?" Norah entered the kitchen and stared at her relatives, who were strangely silent. "What? Tell me!"  
  
"Norah, I think you should go back up to your room," her mother said. "Go on."  
  
"Not until I find out what's going on here!" Norah crossed her arms defiantly. "Besides, I've already thought about why I shouldn't call Michael a Death Eater."  
  
Everyone flinched. "Oh no," Norah said, realisation dawning on her. "This doesn't have to do with Death Eaters... Does it?"  
  
There was a long pause, then, "I'm afraid so, Norah," her father sighed. "Sit down. We need to talk about this. All of us."  
  
Norah obliged and took a seat across from her older cousin. She glanced at him worriedly, and he smiled, apparently in an attempt to reassure her.  
  
"I guess I'll start again, since Norah should know what's going on," Marcus suggested. Harry nodded for him to go on. Marcus cleared his throat. "Well it just happened early this morning... I think about four o'clock, and that's why the papers haven't printed it."  
  
"What happened?" Norah leaned forward.  
  
"I'm getting to that," he answered. "We were all woken up at about five o'clock in the morning by someone pounding on the door. They said they needed my parents to report to the Ministry immediatly. We still had no idea what was going on, but Mum and Dad and whoever the bloke was that came to get them were out the door in less than five minutes."  
  
"Will and Becky and I were obviously pretty confused, so we decided to walk down the road to our Grandparents' house and see if they knew what was going on. When we got there, Gran said that Grandpa had rushed out to the Ministry as well. He said he needed to organize a team as quickly as possible, to deal with any Muggles who had questions. He said that a house about fifteen miles away had been raided, and the couple who lived there killed."  
  
"But how did they know it was Death Eaters who did it?" Norah inquired. "What if it was just some crazy old wizard with a grudge, or something?"  
  
Her parents exchanged looks. "Norah..." her father began, "they found the Dark Mark hovering above their house."  
  
"Oh," Norah said simply, feeling rather ill. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The Dark Lord was supposed to be gone... Dead! Or at least that's what everyone assumed. If her memory served her right, her parents had told her that You-Know-Who had diminished to nearly nothing. Had fled back to the forests of Albania, to die, everyone thought. Maybe everyone was wrong. Norah shuddered.  
  
"So that means he's back?" her brother was saying. "What are we going to do?"  
  
"Not so fast, Michael," her father answered. "These could very well just be a couple of rogue Death Eaters left over from the old days, trying to scare people," he took off his glasses and turned them over in his hands. "What I don't understand is why they would just choose a couple of random people and kill them. Doesn't make much sense to me."  
  
"They weren't just random people," Marcus responded. "They were former Aurors, from what I understand."  
  
"Now that's something to worry about!" her brother exclaimed. "If they're after former Aurors, a lot of people we know are in danger!"  
  
"Don't jump to conclusions, Michael!" his mother said. "Think of what your father said. It's not like there are armies of dark wizards at our door."  
  
Right then there was a knock at the door. Everyone jumped. Norah let out a little yelp. Harry rose from the table, wand in hand - just in case - and went out into the corridor towards the front door. Those gathered in the kitchen waited with bated breath. Suddenly they heard a voice that didn't belong to Harry.  
  
"Hey Potter, just thought I'd stop by and see if you've heard the news! I guess you have, seeing as how you've got your wand at hand. Don't worry, mate, I'm not a Death Eater, at least not last time I checked. Let me in then, you wouldn't let an old friend wait outside all day!"  
  
The two men entered the kitchen, laughing, and everyone visibly relaxed. "Michael, Norah, Marcus, this is Seamus Finnigan. I think you've met him once before."  
  
"I've met these two gentlemen," he motioned to Marcus and Michael, "but this is a new face," he nodded at Norah, who grinned shyly.  
  
"This is Norah, my youngest," Harry said. "Norah, this is Seamus Finnigan. Say hello."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Mr Finnigan," Norah said.  
  
"Seamus," the man grinned, shaking her hand warmly. "Well, I see Ginny hasn't changed one bit since I saw her last... What was it? Twelve years ago?"  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ginny smiled. "And I hear you have a son as well?"  
  
"A son and a daughter!" he laughed. "Blimey, we've really lost touch, haven't we? We'll have to fix that. My son, Adam, he's probably a couple years younger than Norah. He's eight. And my daughter, Shauna just turned five."  
  
"I'm eleven," Norah stated.  
  
"Obviously," Michael rolled his eyes. Norah ignored him.  
  
"Eleven? You'll be going to Hogwarts this year, then?" she nodded. "Well then, just make sure you don't get into as much trouble as your Dad did, eh?" he winked.  
  
"I for one certainly hope she doesn't!" Ginny smiled. Her husband blushed.  
  
"Anyway," said Seamus. "I guess you've all heard about what's happened. I've really got to be going, I just stopped in to say 'hello' because I was in the area. I'm heading to the Ministry. Seems they're looking to put together a group of Aurors, see if they can catch the blokes who did this."  
  
"All right," Harry stood up to see him to the door. "You just take care of yourself, will you? You've got a family to think of now."  
  
"I will," he promised, as he exited the house.  
  
"He's an Auror?" Michael asked, as his father came back into the kitchen.  
  
"Sure is," Harry replied. "And a great one at that, though there hasn't been much call for people of that profession lately. Let's hope there's not much call for them in the future, either."  
  
"Well I'd better get going too," Marcus said, standing up. "I can't trust Will and Becky for too long alone. They might destroy the house, or something. Is it all right if I use some of your floo powder to get back?"  
  
"Sure," Ginny said. "Come with me, I'll get it for you." she lead him out of the room, and down the corridor.  
  
"See you in a week!" Marcus called back to the kitchen.  
  
"Dad," said Norah, "do you think You-Know-Who's going to come back?"  
  
"Do you want the honest truth?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she said.  
  
He nodded. "I really don't know, Norah. I'd think he was dead, seeing as how he was only barely clinging to life when he fled, after the war... But you never know. One thing I've learned is to never under estimate your enemies. Another thing I've learned is to never rule out any possibilites."  
  
"It's like Quidditch," Michael put in.  
  
"Yeah," Harry laughed. "Like Quidditch." but he knew in the back of his mind that this was much more serious than Quidditch. And his children knew it too. 


	3. Diagon Alley

A/N: Just thought I'd add, unlike many 'Second Generation' fics, this one's actually going to involve the kids' parents. They're not just going to have one or two lines. They'll actually be important to the plot. After all, how can you call it 'Harry Potter' fan fiction, if the man himself has nothing to do with it? ;)  
  
~  
  
A Shadow Rising  
  
Chapter 3: Diagon Alley  
  
The week before Norah and her family were to visit their relatives passed so quickly, that she could scarce believe she was already at their house, and sitting on the extra cot in her cousin's bedroom.  
  
"I can't believe we're going to be at Hogwarts in less than a week!" Becky squealed in excitement, red curls bobbing up and down as she hopped onto her bed. She had somehow managed to receive one hair gene from her father, and another from her mother.  
  
"I know!" Norah replied. "It's so great, isn't it? Just think, we'll actually get to see all the places that our parents told stories about..." her eyes had a dreamy look to them.  
  
"So, what house do you think you'll get sorted into?" Becky asked, flipping open her August issue of 'Youth Sodalitas', a popular magazine with young witches.  
  
"Gryffindor, I hope," Norah answered. "My whole family's been in it, after all. What about you?"  
  
Becky shrugged. "Probably Gryffindor. Both my brothers are in it, after all."  
  
"I hope you're right," Norah said. "Imagine if you got sorted into Slytherin? Think about it!"  
  
"I don't even want to! Only ugly people get put in Slytherin!" Becky giggled. "Come here, you have to see this picture!"  
  
"What?" Norah came over and sat down beside Becky, peering over her shoulder curiously. She was pointing at a picture in the magazine of four young wizards, who were waving and flashing brilliant smiles. "Who are they?" Norah wanted to know.  
  
"A new wizard band, called 'Clarus'," Becky replied. "They're absolutely brill!"  
  
Norah squinted at the attractive young wizards who were winking back at her. "Why're they called Clarus?"  
  
"I think it's their last name," Becky said. "Two of them are brothers and two of them are cousins."  
  
"Have you heard any of their music?"  
  
"No. But I'm sure it's brill!"  
  
They were silent for a moment, then Becky tossed the magazine on the floor beside her bed, where it landed amongst a clutter of other things. "I hope we get sorted into the same house," she said.  
  
"So do I," Norah agreed. "But I'm tired, and we've got to wake up early tomorrow to go shopping. Let's get some sleep."  
  
"Good idea," her cousin said, putting out the light. "'Night, Norah."  
  
~  
  
Diagon Alley was brimming with students and their parents shopping for school supplies. Norah was practically beside herself with excitement. She had only been to the Alley once before, when she was very young. She wanted to visit all the shops, and look at all the displays, and generally be everywhere, and do everything at once.  
  
Her brother and older cousins had rushed off to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Becky's parents were still busy at the Ministry, and Norah's parents had decided to visit Fred and George at their joke shop, so Percy's daughter, Christina, had agreed to chaperone the two girls.  
  
They went to be fitted for school robes first, much to the displeasure of Norah. She stood there, bored, while Becky chatted with the woman who was fitting them.  
  
"What do you girls need next?" Christina asked when they emerged from the shop. "And what do you think of this?" she pulled a vile containing some sort of blue liquid out of one of her bags.  
  
"What is it?" Becky asked.  
  
"It's a potion that'll turn your hair blue for a couple hours. I thought I'd use it the night before school starts, to freak my Dad out." Christina was a generally normal girl, and had never been particularily rebellious, except when it came to her father. She was intent on being as different from him as possible - and Norah really couldn't blame her.  
  
Next they bought their school books, parchment, ink, and cauldrons. At noon they decided to stop and have a rest on the steps of an ice cream parlour which claimed to have over six hundred and forty different flavours. Norah chose her favourite - chocolate - while Becky decided on a combination of mint, banana, and strawberry. Christina went off to find some friends, promising to meet her cousins back at the ice cream parlour in a half an hour.  
  
"You know what I've been thinking?" Becky asked. "I've been thinking, about all the Death Eater stuff, we're probably really safe at Hogwarts if anything happens, you know? I mean, the whole time he was in power before, he never got into Hogwarts... Well, maybe once or twice. But hardly ever! Anyway he's probably dead, you know, he's probably dead out in Albania or wherever. Our parents were absolutely brill, weren't they, in the war? Weren't they? Norah? Norah, are you listening?"  
  
Norah wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixed on something in the distance. Her ice cream was melting and dripping down her arm.  
  
"Norah! What is it?!" Becky waved her hand in front of her cousin's face.  
  
"What?" Norah blinked, then blushed furiously. "Sorry, nothing!"  
  
"Oh sure," Becky rolled her eyes. "You were looking at something... Or someone! Have you seen a cute bloke, Norah? Where is he?!" Becky glanced around at the crowd of shoppers.  
  
Norah shrugged. "Don't know. He's out of sight now," she said.  
  
"Well what did he look like?" her cousin asked.  
  
"Umm... I don't know. He was cute. And, umm... Had blond hair."  
  
"That's it?! That's what you let your ice cream melt for? Blond hair? There's plenty of blond hair to go about, you know."  
  
"Look, he was cute, OK? Now can we please just drop the subject?" Norah snapped.  
  
Christina met them at the scheduled time, and the three cousins stood on the steps, looking at their lists.  
  
"I've got everything I need," Christina stated. "What about you two?"  
  
"All we need now are our wands," Norah said.  
  
~  
  
The three girls stepped inside Ollivanders. The shop was strangely silent compared to the buzz of activity outside.  
  
"There's already someone here," Christina said. "Just wait 'till he gets his wand, and then you can get yours'."  
  
"That's him!" Norah said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Who?" Becky blinked.  
  
"The cute bloke!" Norah whispered.  
  
"Oh, cool," Becky said absently, apparently distracted by something in the window. Norah sighed.  
  
Once the 'cute bloke' had exited the shop, Norah and Becky stepped up to the counter. Ollivander peered over at them and smiled.  
  
"Ah, Miss Potter," he said, "and Miss Weasley, I presume." The girls nodded, not bothering to ask how the old wizard knew their names. "Let's see, we'll start with you first, shall we?" he nodded at Becky. He took her measurements, then pulled a rectangular box off a nearby shelf, opened it, and handed the wand to Becky. "Try this one. Willow, unicorn hair, 8 1/2 inches."  
  
Becky gave the wand a swish. Nothing happened. She frowned.  
  
"All right then," Ollivander said, taking the wand back from her, and placing another in her hands. "This one then. Maple, phoenix feather, ten inches." Still nothing.  
  
After five more tries, Becky finally found her wand. Maple, unicorn hair, 11 inches.  
  
Next it was Norah's turn. She went through wand after wand, and the boxes were piling up on the counter, but still she had no luck. She was growing increasingly bored, and agitated, while Ollivander seemed to be in his element. Finally, he set the twenty fourth wand she had tried that day in her hands. She gave it a wave, and to her delight, it emitted a cloud of red and blue sparks.  
  
"Finally!" Becky hopped up. Norah heaved a sigh of relief.  
  
Ollivander placed the wand in her hands, giving her a meaningful look. "Yew, dragon heartstring, 9 inches. Rather powerful combination. I trust you'll put it to good use," he said.  
  
Norah, intent on getting out of the stuffy shop as quickly as possible, thanked him and placed the wand amongst her other purchases, carrying them out into the fresh air. At that moment, her parents came out of a nearby shop and spotted the three girls struggling with their packages.  
  
"Here, let me help!" Ginny offered, rushing over to them. She performed a lightening spell, lessening the weight of the purchases. "That'll have to do 'till we get back to the house," she said. "Harry and I will take some of those for you, though," Ginny and her husband relieved the girls of a few of their packages. "Now we're supposed to meet Michael, William, and Marcus back here, but who knows how long they'll be."  
  
Luckily the boys weren't too long, and everyone arrived back at the Weasleys' house in time for supper.  
  
Norah felt very satisfied that night, as she snuggled under her covers, waiting for sleep to come to her. She had been so busy all day that she had almost completely forgot her worries about Death Eaters. And to think... Hogwarts was only three days away! 


	4. On the Train

A/N: All right, I forgot a couple of things... Including a few kids. I know, I know, I'm awful. There's a couple of baby's as well, but they're not important. Poor things.  
  
Neville and Lavender: Jason (11, First Year), Julia (11, First Year), Nathan (8), Andrew (6), Sarah (3). Only the first two are going to play a role, for now. By the way, they're not twins. They were born ten months apart. And they'll make sure you know it, too. ;)  
  
Fred and Angelina are also married, with a couple of very young children, who won't really have anything to do with this fic (sorry kids). You might be seeing a couple descendents of others characters I haven't listed yet, but not many.  
  
A Shadow Rising  
  
Chapter 4: On the Train  
  
"Come on kids, hurry up, you don't want to be late! Marcus, stop threatening your sister with that roll of parchment! Becky, stop threatening your brother with that lamp! Will, Michael, what on earth are you doing standing on the kitchen table?! Get down here this second! Norah, would you hurry up with your packing? We're leaving!"  
  
The morning of 1st September at the Weasley residence. Chaos. Destruction. Devastation, more like it. Somehow, though, all five kids managed to load their trunks into the boot of Ron's car (magically expanded, of course), and were off to King's Cross station in a timely manner. Ron was driving, and looking rather grumpy at the prospect of having to control a group of excitable kids in a car, while his wife, sister, and brother-in-law waved cheerily from the house as he drove away.  
  
Becky had brought a radio, and she and Norah were belting out the lyrics to one of their favourite songs. Marcus was complaining that 'muggles get dozens of stations and we only get three!', Will was checking to make sure that he had remembered all of his pranking necessities (donated generously by his uncles Fred and George, of course), and Michael looked as if he were about to fall asleep.  
  
Suddenly Becky let out a cry of excitement. "This is them! This is them! This is Clarus!" she squealed. She twisted the volume knob on her radio, and the sound of 'Clarus' filled the car. The boys groaned. Gulliver, Will's owl, hooted distanefully, and fluttered around in his cage. It seemed he wasn't particularily fond of this wizard band.  
  
"Turn it off, turn it off!" Marcus pleaded.  
  
"Yes, for the sake of our sanity!" Michael exclaimed.  
  
"Look, even my owl hates it! Go on, Gulliver, tell them how you feel about this bloody song!" Gulliver let out several loud hoots. Will smiled triumphantly.  
  
"Would you all quiet down, please?! Becky, turn that radio down, or I'll throw it out the window. Will, tell that owl to shut up, or I'll throw it out the window as well! And all of you calm down, or I'll turn around and drive back home, and no one will be going to Hogwarts this year. Or maybe I'll just throw all of you out the window and you can walk home! Is that clear?" Ron fumed. They nodded glumly, and were silent for the rest of the drive.  
  
Once they reached King's Cross and loaded their luggage onto a few trollies, Ron seemed to have cooled down a bit, and apologised for his outburst in the car. "I'm sorry, kids," he said, shaking his head. "I've just been so overworked at the Ministry lately. I really need some peace and quiet, that's all."  
  
"That's all right, Uncle Ron," Norah nodded understandingly. "I know what it's like to need peace and quiet," she glared at Michael, who made a face at her in return.  
  
"Ugh, Norah, why do you always have to agree with the adults? You can be such a goody goody sometimes!" Becky sighed. They had arrived at Platform 9 3/4. "You boys go through first."  
  
"Why?" Will asked.  
  
"Because I'm nervous!" she said. "Just go!"  
  
Will laughed, and ran through the barrier, followed by his brother and Michael in the same fashion. Becky straightened her shoulders, and marched through the seemingly solid wall after them.  
  
Ron glanced at his watch. "You've got seven minutes 'till the train leaves, Norah. You better get moving."  
  
She gulped, and stared at the wall. It seemed so solid. What if it didn't work? What if she couldn't get through? What if she ran into it, and all her luggage fell off her trolly, and everyone stared at her? What if the impact was so hard that she broke her arms?  
  
"Norah? Norah?" her uncle stared down at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's, umm..." she kicked at the ground, ashamed. "I'm... scared," she whispered.  
  
He laughed. "Oh, don't be scared, Norah! You'll do fine! You know, your father and I were terrified the first time we had to go through as well."  
  
She looked up at him hopefully. "Really? And you were OK?"  
  
"Really. We were fine. Now go on, or you'll miss the train! You can run, if you're nervous."  
  
Norah nodded, gripping the handle of her trolly, and made a run for the wall. When she opened her eyes she was standing on Platform 9 3/4, and the Hogwarts Express was waiting before her. She grinned, and rushed onto the train just before it chugged out of the station.  
  
"There you are, finally!" Becky pulled her into a compartment near the front of the train. "I've been waiting here for you, alone, forever!"  
  
"I only took five minutes," Norah said. "Where are our brothers?"  
  
"You think I'd sit with them?" Becky laughed. "There's no way I'm closing myself up in a compartment with those mad fools. They'd probably set me on fire or something."  
  
Norah had to agree. "Did you see William packing all his joke stuff? I wouldn't accept any sweets or gifts he may offer you."  
  
Becky yawned and stretched. "I'm so glad I'm finally getting away from home!" she sighed happily.  
  
"Why?" Norah asked. "I'll miss my parents."  
  
Becky rolled her eyes. "Don't be so daft! You'll see them at Christmas holidays anyway. Besides, we're going to have so much fun at Hogwarts, we'll forget all about home in a couple of days! I just wish Dumbledore was still Headmaster. Too bad he had to go and die during the war. Apparently he was a pretty cool old guy. McGonagall doesn't let you get away with anything!"  
  
Norah shrugged. "Oh, hey!" she said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Aren't Jason and Julia coming to Hogwarts this year?"  
  
"Jason and Julia Longbottom? I guess so. What do you think they're like now? I haven't seen them in forever!"  
  
"I know," Norah replied, thinking back to when her and her cousins used to play with the Longbottom children. That was when the Weasleys, the Potters, and the Longbottoms had all lived in Hogsmeade for a short while. Norah barely remembered her former playmates. She hadn't seen them since she was four or five. "Do you think they still live in Hogsmeade?" she wondered.  
  
"I heard they moved to Ireland or something. I guess we'll be seeing them soon." her cousin responded. "Well, it's a long train ride. What do you suggest we do?"  
  
"Umm..." Norah rummaged around in the bag that she had carried onto the train. "I've got this July issue of Youth Sodalitus here, and it's got a list of different spells that're supposed to be useful. Want to have a try at some?"  
  
"This coming from the girl who hates breaking rules?" Becky raised an eyebrow. "We're not supposed to do magic out of school, you know."  
  
"I know," Norah replied, "but we're on the train, and it's 1st September, so we can. What do you say, do you want to try it or not?"  
  
"All right, sure," Becky gave in. "What kind of spells do they have there, what are they for?"  
  
"Well... Here's one you might like. It's to straighten hair."  
  
"Ohh!" Becky exclaimed. "Try it out on me!"  
  
"What if I mess up and it doesn't work?"  
  
"I'll only be angry with you for a second," Becky grinned. "Go on!"  
  
"If you say so..." Norah cleared her throat, pointing her wand at Becky's head, and said, "capillus directus!"  
  
"Did it work?" Becky asked anxiously.  
  
Norah was trying hard to suppress a fit of laughter. "It... It... Umm... Well it's straighter than it was, but... Umm... it's all sticking up above your head!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"See for yourself," Norah laughed, and tossed her a small mirror.  
  
Becky screamed. "Gawd Blimey, Norah, what have you done to me?! My hair's straight, but it's all up above my head! Fix it! Fix it, Norah, please fix it!" she was becoming hysterical.  
  
"All right, calm down!" Norah said. "I don't know how to fix it! It doesn't say!"  
  
"Norah, you have to help me! I can't start school like this! Please, Norah, make it right again! I don't care if it's not straight, I just don't want it sticking up in the air!"  
  
"I'll go get Christina," Norah jumped up. "She knows a bit about this stuff. I'm sure she'll be able to help you. Just wait here."  
  
"Hurry!" Becky called as she exited the compartment.  
  
Norah rushed off down the corridor, remembering that she had seen Christina in a window near the back when she had first seen the train. She was intent on finding her older cousin as quickly as possible - she didn't know what might happen if Becky was made to wait for more than a few minutes, and she didn't want to find out. She was in such a state that she didn't even notice a compartment door slide open, and a boy step out in front of her.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"Ow!"  
  
Norah had collided with the boy and toppled over onto the ground. She sat up and rubbed her head. "Gawd Blimey..."  
  
"Sorry!" the boy said. "I didn't even see you there! I'll help you up," he pulled her to her feet.  
  
"Thanks," she said, brushing herself off. Then she caught sight of the person who she had literally run into. Blond hair. She remembered that blond hair. It was the cute bloke from Diagon Alley!  
  
"So where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked.  
  
"Umm... Uh..." she stuttered. "I was, um, going to get my cousin. Because my friend sort of, er... Well, I sort of.. I sort of stuck her hair all up on end."  
  
"I... See..." the boy said. "Well then. Anything I can do to help? I'm Dominic Malfoy, by the way."  
  
Her face paled. "Malfoy?"  
  
"Yeah, Malfoy," he said. "Who are you?" 


	5. Welcome to Hogwarts

A Shadow Rising  
  
Chapter 5: Welcome to Hogwarts  
  
  
  
Norah stared at her feet. "I'm Norah... Potter," she answered quietly.  
  
"Potter," he stated. "Oh."  
  
"Oh," she said.  
  
"I've got to go," said Dominic, giving her a suspicious sort of glance. "See you."  
  
"Yeah, bye," Norah sighed as he slammed the door to his compartment. 'Great...' she thought. 'The one bloke I think is really cute turns out to be a Malfoy. Just my luck! Oh well... He's probably no good anyway.'  
  
She managed to find Christina, and after about ten minutes Becky's hair was back to normal, much to everyone's relief. Becky was feeling chipper as the train pulled up to the station in Hogsmeade.  
  
"So that cute bloke turned out to be a Malfoy, eh?" Becky asked, hopping off the train and onto the platform. Norah nodded and her cousin shrugged in return. "Who cares, Norah, you can go find yourself some equally cute bloke who's decent as well."  
  
"Sure," Norah said. "It's not like a fancied him or anything." She looked around and spotted a middle aged man who was attempting to get the crowd's attention. "Oh, that must be the Groundskeeper, Professor Morganson," she noted. The former Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, had been one of the unfortunate ones to die in the war against Voldemort, fifteen years before. Professor Morganson had taken over his duties at Hogwarts, including teaching Care of Magical Creatures.  
  
"Hello, all First Years, please follow me to the boats! You will be seperated into groups of three, and then you will board a boat with a prefect, which will carry you across the lake to the castle."  
  
Norah was put into a group with Becky and a small girl with mousy brown hair who introduced herself as Enid Amberton. Norah stared up at the castle, transfixed, as the boat made its way across to lake. When they reached shore they were lead up to the castle and into the Entrance Hall, where Professor Sinistra, the Deputy Headmistress greeted them.  
  
"Welcome First Years!" she smiled. "In a minute I will lead you through those doors into the Great Hall, and you will be sorted into your houses. The four options are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. I will call the names off a sheet of parchment in alphabetical order. When your name is called, please step up to the stool, take a seat, and place the Sorting Hat on your head. After it has sorted you, go directly to the table of your house, and remain seated for the rest of the sorting and the feast. Is everyone clear?"  
  
There was a collective nod from the First Years present.  
  
"Good," she said. "Ah, it looks like they're ready for us. Come along, then." She lead the group of students through the doors and into the Great Hall. Norah noticed her cousins and brother waving at them madly. She waved back, forcing a smile, but she felt like she was about to faint.  
  
"Amberton, Enid!" the girl who had shared a boat with Norah and Becky stepped up to the stool and, hands shaking, placed the hat on her head.  
  
"Gryffindor!" the Hat called. Enid, sporting a broad grin, joined the Gryffindor table to the cheers of her fellow students. Norah noticed in amusement that when the girl caught sight of Michael Potter, she blushed and stared at her plate.  
  
"Dryler, Nelly!" Professor Sinistra called. The girl was sorted into Hufflepuff.  
  
"Elbert, Morgan!" became a Ravenclaw.  
  
Soon Hemforth, Robin was sorted into Slytherin, and Lennings, Kate was sorted into Hufflepuff.  
  
Then came a name Norah recognised. "Longbottom, Jason!" a chubby boy with light brown hair stepped up to the stool, and was sorted into Hufflepuff. Norah was a bit surprised, since she knew both of his parents had been Gryffindors, but she had heard of it happening before.  
  
"Longbottom, Julia!" was called up next and, to Norah's surprise, joined the Gryffindor table. She hadn't thought before that brothers and sisters could be in seperate houses. This made her all the more nervous.  
  
"Malfoy, Dominic!"  
  
Norah's head snapped up. Dominic set the Hat on his head. There seemed to be some sort of debate going on between the Hat and the boy, because Dominic had taken on a rather agitated look. Finally the Hat made its decision. "Slytherin!"  
  
"I knew it!" Norah said to Becky, who was standing beside her. "Malfoys always get sorted into Slytherin. I wonder why it took so long..." but she had no time to debate.  
  
"Potter, Norah!" she gulped and stepped up the the stool, placing the hat on her head. At once it began to speak to her.  
  
"Ah, the second Potter child, I see!" it exclaimed. "My my, isn't this interesting! You seem to have inherited a great deal of your father's personality, as well as your mother's. So tell me, Norah, which house do you think you should be in?"  
  
"Gryffindor!" she thought. "Definitely Gryffindor."  
  
"So sure?" the Hat mused. "Your whole family has been in Gryffindor, yes, but why otherwise are you so quick to rule out the other houses?"  
  
"Well I'm not smart enough to go in Ravenclaw," she replied, "and as for Hufflepuff, I guess I just don't feel like I belong to that house."  
  
"And Slytherin?"  
  
"Slytherin?" she laughed inwardly. "I'm not going in Slytherin. There's no way I'm going in that house."  
  
"What if I told you you had many of the qualities specific to those of Slytherin?" the Hat asked.  
  
"I'd be very disturbed," Norah shot back.  
  
"I also see that much of your fate lies in Slytherin."  
  
"I don't care!"  
  
"Not all Slytherins are bad people, Norah," the Hat replied. "And if you don't believe me, you will soon."  
  
"I believe you," she sighed. "Just, please, don't put me in that house!"  
  
"As you wish," the Hat replied, then called aloud for everyone to hear, "Gryffindor!"  
  
Norah heaved a sigh of relief, and went to sit next to Julia Longbottom at the Gryffindor table, to watch the rest of the sorting.  
  
"I haven't seen you in so long!" Julia exclaimed. "I got so excited when it put you in Gryffindor! You look exactly the same as you did six or seven ago, you know!"  
  
Norah laughed. "Oh great, I look like a four-year-old. You've changed a bit, though. Your hair's darker."  
  
"Yeah, I'm taking after my mum," the girl laughed. "Oh look, Becky's being sorted!"  
  
Becky joined the Gryffindor table, and after two more students were sorted, the feast began. Norah, Becky, and Julia did more talking than eating as they had quite a bit of catching up to do.  
  
"So why did you move to Ireland?" Norah asked.  
  
Julia shrugged. "Change of scene and society, I guess," she laughed. "Anyway, I'm sad Jason got put into Hufflepuff. I was hoping we'd get into the same house."  
  
"What?" Norah asked incredulously. "You actually get along with your brother?" Becky looked surprised as well.  
  
"Oh, sure!" Julia said. "Well we fight sometimes, but usually we get along just great."  
  
"I'm jealous," Becky sighed. "My brothers are idiots."  
  
"My brother's an idiot too," Norah nodded.  
  
"That Enid girl sure doesn't seem to think so," Julia pointed out, motioning to Enid who, at that moment, blushed and stuttered 'thanks' as Michael Potter offered her the bowl of potatoes.  
  
"Looks like someone fancies your brother, Norah!" Becky giggled.  
  
"And I don't know why," Norah rolled her eyes. "What's there to fancy about him?"  
  
"Well he is quite good looking," Julia observed. "But other than that, I don't really know him."  
  
"Be glad that you don't," Norah sighed. "He's a bloody menace to society, he is."  
  
The feast ended, and the Gryffindors were lead up to their common room, outside of which the portrait of the Fat Lady greeted them.  
  
"Password, please," she nodded.  
  
"Drowzy hippogriff," the prefect said. The portrait swung back, and the Gryffindors entered the common room.  
  
"This place is brill!" Becky exclaimed, surveying the room. "It's just how Mum and Dad described it! Don't you think, Norah?"  
  
"Yeah," Norah agreed. "It's great."  
  
The cousins climbed the stairs to the First Year girls' dormitory, which they shared with Julia, Enid, and another girl named Ruby Grey. They found that their luggage had already been brought up, and as they unpacked, they chatted.  
  
"I'm muggle born," said Ruby. "When I got my letter, I thought it was a joke. I don't know anything about anything here," she laughed.  
  
"Me too," Enid piped up. "I feel really dumb."  
  
"Don't," Norah replied, "you'll fit in fine. Loads of muggle borns come to Hogwarts, right?"  
  
"Right," Julia replied. "Give yourself a month and you'll forget all about that muggle stuff, like... tellyvissens!"  
  
"Televisions," Ruby corrected. "And computers."  
  
"What?" Norah, Becky, and Julia asked simultaneously.  
  
"Nevermind," Ruby laughed.  
  
"I did hear a lot about things on the train," Enid said. "About that war, and Dumbledore, and Harry Potter, and You-know-who. Wow, I'm glad he's not around anymore!"  
  
"Um, yeah, so am I," Norah made herself busy with unpacking her socks.  
  
"Oh don't mind her," Becky sighed. "She always gets like that when someone talks about her father, because he's so famous and all, and she's shy."  
  
"What?! You-know-who is her her father?!" Ruby gasped. Enid looked startled.  
  
"No no, not him!" Becky laughed. "Harry Potter, that's her father!"  
  
"Oh!" the girls looked relieved, and Norah had to laugh at the thought of the Dark Lord being her dad. Soon the conversation moved on to lighter things.  
  
"I've got three younger sisters, you know," Ruby stated. "Do you think they'll come to Hogwarts too?"  
  
"I guess it depends," Julia replied, "on whether or not they've got magic in their blood. The only way to really know for sure is if they get a letter when they're eleven."  
  
"I haven't got any brothers or sister," Enid replied. "I've always wanted one, though. What about you three, do you have any brothers or sisters?"  
  
"Yes," Julia laughed. "Four of them. Jason, Nathan, Andrew, and Sarah."  
  
"I've got two brothers, Marcus and William, and they're more than enough, thanks," Becky made a face.  
  
"And I've got one brother, Michael," Norah answered, then grinned. "You know him, Enid. You were sitting beside him at the feast."  
  
Enid blushed and stammered, "Oh, him! He's your brother!" she flopped down on her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. "The son of Harry Potter? I haven't got a chance!" she moaned, flipped over, and buried her face in her pillows. 


	6. Rumours and Threats

A Shadow Rising  
  
Chapter 6: Rumours and Threats  
  
  
  
Schedules were handed out at breakfast the next morning, and the post was delivered around the same time. Norah pocketed a letter from her parents, intending to read it in the common room that evening. Then she took a look at her schedule.  
  
"What day is it?" Norah yawned.  
  
"It's Wednesday, why?" Becky replied.  
  
"Oh, no!" Norah groaned. "We've got double Potions first things, with the Slytherins."  
  
"That's bleeding bad luck, that is!" Will observed from seven seats over. "I've got Divination first, the easiest class of all!"  
  
"Don't rub it in," Norah sighed, surveying the rest of her schedule. "The second half of the day isn't much better. After lunch we've got History of Magic, then Transfiguration."  
  
"Transfiguration, great!" Becky clapped.  
  
Norah wrinkled her nose. "No, not great. Haven't you heard about the Transfiguration teacher? They say she's almost as bad as Snape! What's her name again? Merrill?"  
  
Becky paled. "Oh yeah, I forgot all about her... My brothers were talking about her this summer. I heard she gives you detention if you breathe too loud."  
  
"Come on you two, you haven't even met her yet," Julia reasoned. "Your brothers are probably just trying to scare you. Anyway, we won't find out until this afternoon. We've got Potions in five minutes, though. Let's get going."  
  
The first year Gryffindors and Slytherins headed down to the dungeons for their first Potions class of the year. Norah slid into a seat between Julia and Enid, while Becky and Ruby found seats in the row in front of them.  
  
Professor Snape stood at the front of the room, surveying the class with a mixture of distate and severity, and maybe mild amusement.  
  
"First of all, we will go over the set of rules and expectations which you are to follow while in this class," he stated. "I expect all of you to behave like civilised wizards and witches, however difficult that may seem. There will be no fighting, rowing, note passing, or needless chatter. You are to remain silent at all times. You have no reason to speak unless I permit it. If you break any of these rules, or display any other questionable behaviour, points will be deducted from your house, or you will receive a detention."  
  
"Unless you're in Slytherin," Julia whispered to Norah, who nodded.  
  
"Now," the Professor continued, "to start this term off on an interesting note, we're going to have a contest. Slytherin versus Gryffindor. I will ask you a question dealing with Potions, and if your answer is correct, you'll receive a point, and I will ask you another question. If you are incorrect, the other house will get a chance to answer. Is everyone clear?"  
  
There was a collective "yes" from the gathered students.  
  
"Good," he replied. With a wave of his wand a floating scoreboard was conjured up. 'Slytherin' hovered above the left column, and 'Gryffindor' hovered above the right. "Slytherin goes first. Question One: name three ingredients in a shrinking solution. Yes, Malfoy."  
  
"It figures," Julia whispered to Norah once again. "Malfoys are always going to be teacher's pet in Potions." Norah leaned over to get a better look at him.  
  
"Daisy roots, caterpiller, and leech juice," Dominic said smoothly.  
  
"Well done, Mr Malfoy. Slytherin receives one point." the scoreboard flashed and a '1' appeared in the Slytherin column. "Next question: what is the most powerful truth potion available?"  
  
"Veritaserum," Dominic answered.  
  
"Once again, correct," Snape replied. The '1' in the Slytherin column changed to a '2'. "Question Three: what is bubotubor puss most commonly used for?"  
  
The Slytherins seemed stumped on this one. Snape gave them a minute, then turned to the Gryffindors. "Does anyone on this side have the answer?"  
  
Becky's hand shot up into the air.  
  
"Yes, Weasley," Snape motioned for her to answer.  
  
"It cures stubborn acne!" she grinned. A '1' appeared in the Gryffindor column. "My brother used in a lot when he was in fourth year," she whispered to Norah, giggling.  
  
"Question Four: name a potion that is forbidden at Hogwarts. Potter, go ahead."  
  
"The lurrrve potion," Norah grinned. The girls in the class giggled and whispered to each other.  
  
"Correct," Snape said, annoyed, as a '2' replaced the '1' in the Gryffindor column. "There was, however, no reason to pronounce 'love' like that, and cause a disruption in the class. Five points from Gryffindor."  
  
"Oh come on, that's not fair!" Becky complained.  
  
"Becky, shut up!" Norah exclaimed, but it was too late. Snape seemed quite happy to relieve Gryffindor of another five points.  
  
With five minutes left in the class, Slytherin and Gryffindor were tied at twelve points each. "Class is almost over, so this will be the last question," Snape said. "A difficult one. Name one ingredient in the polyjuice potion, besides a bit of who you want to turn into."  
  
The class was silent. No one knew such advanced potions. Norah bit her lip. She remembered overhearing a conversation between her mother and father years ago, that had to do with the polyjuice potion... She furrowed her brow, thinking back to that night. Her father had returned home late from a trial. He was testifying as one of the witnesses in the trial of an important Death Eater, something he had to do a lot when she was very young.  
  
"They need to think on it?" she remembered her mother saying, as she listened from the top of the stairs.  
  
"They need to think on it!" her father repeated. "I can't believe this jury. The evidence was all there. It's blindingly obvious that he was using the polyjuice potion to impersonate the Minister! They found the ingredients all stashed up in a cupboard in his house!"  
  
Norah shook her head, and thought harder. What were the ingredients. Something to do with skin... Boomskin? No, that wasn't it.... Boom something... Boom... Boom... "Boomslang skin!" she exclaimed aloud.  
  
Snape blinked, surprised that someone had spoken, then grimaced. "Very well, Potter. Gryffindor receives another point." At that moment the bell rang signalling the end of class. "You are dismissed," he said, as the students rushed out of the classroom.  
  
"Norah, you were brill!" Becky laughed as she caught up to her cousin on their way to the Great Hall for Lunch. "Snape never knew what hit him!"  
  
"That was just a lucky guess," came a cold voice from behind her. She turned slowly to face a girl with long blonde hair, pulled back in a tight braid, sporting an ugly frown.  
  
"Who are you?" Norah raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm Miranda Goyle," she sniffed. "But it's not like it's any of your business."  
  
"Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't insult people you don't want to talk to," Norah said, turning to walk away, but Miranda slid in front of her.  
  
"You better watch how you talk to your superiors, Potter," she spat Norah's last name like it was poison on her tongue.  
  
"Superiors? Umm, isn't your father in Azkaban? Because he's a Death Eater?" Becky twirled a strand of firey red hair around her finger.  
  
"Becky!" Norah sighed exasperatedly. "You don't know when to shut up, do you? Come on, let's go!" But Miranda stepped in front of them again.  
  
"I don't appreciate people insulting my family. I'd watch your backs if I were you," she sneered.  
  
"Hey, what's going on here?" Marcus stepped up to the girls.  
  
"None of your business!" Miranda glared up at him.  
  
"It is my business. I'm a prefect," he said, pointing to his badge. "And that's my little sister and cousin you're threatening. Do you want me to report you to the Headmistress, or what?"  
  
"No," Miranda said sulkily.  
  
"Then run along and stop making empty threats," Marcus said firmly. "Go on."  
  
"Gladly," she shot back, then caught sight of Dominic Malfoy, who was striding towards the Great Hall. "Dominic, hi, wait up! Wait for me!" she called, running after him. Norah glared after her.  
  
"Who was that?" Marcus asked, as they continued towards the Great Hall.  
  
Becky rolled her eyes. "She says her name is Miranda Goyle."  
  
"Goyle, eh?" his eyes twinkled. "Not the most respectable family, hmm? What did she want with you two?"  
  
"Becky insulted her because her father's in Azkaban, and then she got angry," Norah replied. "And she told us to watch our backs."  
  
"You two be careful," Marcus said, as they entered the Hall. "You've heard the rumours, about Death Eaters returning. Who knows what could happen. Don't go making enemies with everyone in Slytherin, a lot of them already have grudges against our families. Especially your's, Norah. Your father helped to put a lot of people in Azkaban," he looked pointedly at her.  
  
Becky rolled her eyes. "Blimey, Marcus, don't be so paranoid! You're starting to sound like Norah's brother! 'Ohh, what's gonna happen?! Death Eaters are attacking! Death Eaters!! Ahhh!! The Dark Lord has come again! What shall we do?!?!"  
  
"Becky!" Norah hissed.  
  
"What?" she blinked.  
  
"Everyone's staring at you!" Indeed, the entire Great Hall was directing their attention toward Becky and her outburst.  
  
"Oh, um, sorry," she blushed, sliding into a seat at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"What was that all about?" Ruby asked.  
  
"Nothing. I was just impersonating Norah's brother," she said, pouring herself a cup of pumpkin juice.  
  
"Michael?" Enid piped up.  
  
"What?" Michael's head snapped up from the a few seats over at the sound of his name being called.  
  
"Nothing!" Enid squeaked, turning quickly, and tipping over her cup of juice. Michael shrugged and continued eating, while Enid hid her face behind her hands.  
  
~  
  
History of Magic turned out to be far more interesting than people had made it out to be - for Norah, anyway. She had to shake Becky awake when class was over.  
  
"That," said Becky, yawning as they left the classroom, "was the most boring thing I've ever had to sit through in my life!"  
  
"I liked it!" Norah said. "I thought it was very interesting."  
  
"You're mad," Becky replied. "Now we've got Transfiguration. That should be more interesting."  
  
"Yeah, especially with the insane professor, and all!" William walked up beside them, grinning. "You two watch out - she hates Gryffindors!"  
  
"Oh don't be an ass, Will, she's the head of Gryffindor house, isn't she?" Becky scoffed.  
  
"Watch your language, young lady!" Will said in a mockery of his mother.  
  
"I thought McGonagall was the head of Gryffindor," said Norah.  
  
"Well she was, back when our parents were here," Will replied. "But the Headmistress can't be head of a house, you know. So that evil, maniacal, demon professor is! Whoops, gotta go to Herbology! See you two!" He ran off down another corridor.  
  
"You think he's telling the truth?" Norah wondered.  
  
"I don't know," Becky replied. "You can never tell with Will. Anyway, what does 'maniacal' mean?"  
  
Norah shrugged. "No idea. Here we are." They paused in the doorway of the Transfiguration classroom before stepping inside. The sight that greeted them had the two cousins practically doubling over with laughter.  
  
There at the front of the classroom, stood the supposed 'maniacal demon professor'... wearing white flowered robes, and a dainty sunhat.  
  
"Hello girls!" she called cheerily. "Come in and sit down, please, the lesson is about to begin!" Norah and Becky grinned at each other, then took their seats.  
  
"Well now, I think that's everyone," she took a quick glance around the class. "Which houses do we have here, Gryffindor and...?"  
  
"Hufflepuff!" a boy near the back called.  
  
"Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," the professor smiled. "All right then. Let's begin, shall we? I am Professor Merrill, and I'll be teaching you Transfiguration. Now, does everyone have their 'Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration handy? Good. Please flip open to page three. We're going to go over some basic principals for Tranfiguration in today's class."  
  
When class was over, Norah and Becky made sure they weren't in hearing range before they had a good laugh.  
  
"But I am angry," Norah said between chuckles. "We've been had! Our brothers lead us on to believe she was mad or something!"  
  
"We'll have to get them back," Becky said. "Well... Some day." 


End file.
